Color Your Fears Away
by unreal zebra
Summary: As Austin and Ally go through life, coping with negativity in a creative way. One-Shot series. AU.
1. Austin's Checkup

**Um, hi guys.**

 **So this is my first fanfic. I don't really know what this. It was just an idea that popped into my head, so I decided to post it.**

 **Hope you guys like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally or anything else you may recognize. (It'd be pretty cool if I did though...*sigh*)**

* * *

To everyone else it was just a normal, sunny September afternoon. But to little Austin Moon it was the "Day of Doom."

"Mommy, do we have to go. I'm fine. I'm not sick. See?" Austin points to his face, confirming his statement.

Mimi squeezes his hand as she leads him to the doctor's office. "I know you're not sick, hun, but you have to go see the doctor just to make sure."

"But I don't wanna go in there! What if he's scary and mean? I don't wanna go Mommy!" Austin cries, hugging his teddy bear tightly.

The older woman bends down and grasps his shoulders, "Austin you're going to be fine. You've done this before."

"That was the old doctor. She was nice and gave out stickers. This is some-some man that i don't know. What if he hurts me?"

"He's not going to hurt you." Mimi reassures her son.

Austin looks up with doe eyes and sticks out a pinkie. "Promise?"

She smiles and links her pinkie with his. "I promise."

Austin nods his head and follows his mom inside.

As Mimi signs the forms, Austin looks around the waiting room, observing the kids chucking blocks at each other and running around. Normally he would've joined the group of kids, but the chaos only made him more nervous, so he hid behind his mom's legs, trying to muffle the sound.

"Hey, sweetheart. Would you like to come inside and color?" Austin looks up to the source of the voice, a woman like his mommy, but with brown hair.

"Um..."

"My daughter's here too. You can color with her if you want," the lady offers with a warm smile.

"Do you want to? I still have to fill out all these forms. It's not a problem, is it?" Mimi turns to the lady.

"Oh, no; it's completely fine. I've been trying to get her to make friends, but she just hangs around back here all day."

Mimi nods and turns to Austin. "So do you want to?"

Austin shyly nods his head, deciding the girl probably isn't like the other kids and won't scare him. Besides coloring is always fun.

The lady opens the door and allows Austin to come in. "My name's Penny and this is Ally," she says, gesturing to the little brunette, drawing silently on the floor.

Ally looks up at the sound of her name and waves slightly to the boy.

"I'm Austin," Austin introduces, joining Ally on the floor. "Oh and this is Teddy McStuffins. Can I color too?"

Ally nods and hands him a coloring book and some crayons. Austin picks up a red crayon and starts coloring a clown.

"You're supposed to color _inside_ the lines." Austin looks up at the little girl, peeking over his shoulder.

"But that's boring."

Ally shrugs and goes back to her drawing.

After a few minutes Austin holds up his completed artwork. "Ta-da!" Whaddya think?"

 _It's messy._ Ally thinks, observing the clown, now hidden by colorful scribbles. But her mom has always told her to be polite, so instead she says, "It's nice," and resumes her own art.

Slightly dejected, Austin looks over at her paper to see what she's drawing. "That's pretty. Oh my gosh! You know how to draw cars?!" Austin asks, excitedly. Ally nods, not looking up. "Can you teach me? I wanna draw a race car! An orange one with blue wheels and-"

"If I teach you, will you stop talking?"

The blonde nods silently, bouncing up and down.

Ally grabs a piece of paper and a crayon and instructs Austin to do the same and follow her instructions.

"Ooo do you know how to draw an airplane?! Can you teach me that too?"

* * *

"Austin Moon?"

"Come on, Austin. It's time for your checkup." Mimi taps the boy on the shoulder, trying to get his attention.

He turns around, his face void of any color. He got so engrossed in coloring, he forgot the real reason he was here.

"I don't wanna go Mommy! I wanna stay here with Ally and draw!"

"Honey, c'mon. The doctor's waiting for us."

"No! I don't wanna go! He has scary things and shots and-" Austin cries, tears pooling in his eyes.

Mimi sighs and rubs her temples. "Austin, please stop being so stubborn."

"I'm not burned. See? I'm fine. So I don't have to go to the doctor."

Penny bends down to Austin's level. "I know it's scary sweetheart, but Dr. Marshall is one of my best friends and he's not scary at all."

"But I'm scared, " the four-year-old whimpers.

"I know, sweetie, but I promise he won't give you a shot and he'll be really nice. You're a brave little boy, right?" Austin nods, sniffling. "And after your checkup, your mom and I will plan a playdate for you and Ally. Okay?" she offers, wiping one of his tears.

"Really?" Penny nods. "Okay, I'll go. Wait, where's Teddy McStuffins?" Austin frantically looks around for his beloved teddy bear.

"Right here," Ally hands him his bear and a folded sheet of paper.

Austin thanks her and then asks her in a not-so-hushed whisper, "Are you sure he's not scary?"

Ally nods. "He's my favorite. He's really nice and he gives out candy. The good kind, not the icky kind."

"Okay, I believe you," he takes a deep breath and turns to his mom, grabbing her hand. "Okay Mommy, I'm ready to go! I'm a brave warrior." he says, puffing out his chest.

Mimi smiles, "Yes you are." She mouths a thank you to the Dawsons, and leads him closer to the "Room of Doom."

* * *

As prepares to check Austin, said boy notices the paper Ally had given him, now slightly crumbled and sweaty due to his tight grip. He opens it and grins at the blonde boy and brunette girl draw beneath an airplane. He tugs on his mom's sleeve to read him the neat words only four-year-old Ally Dawson would be capable of.

 _Austin and Ally_

 _Best Friends_

* * *

 **So I hope you guys liked it. Please review.**

 **Thank you for reading! :)**

 **~Unreal Zebra**


	2. Auslly's Playdate

**Sup.**

 **Yes, it's me.**

 **Hi.**

 **So an Auslly playdate was requested and I was all like "OMG THAT IS A BRILLIANT IDEA! LET'S DO IT!" So I did and in honor of Leap Day, I decided to post it today.  
**

 **Well, actually my friend was bugging me forever to type it, so I guess you should be thanking her. And my unfinished homework that I didn't do...Oops.**

 **Anywho, ENJOYYY!**

 **Disclaimer: Last time I checked I didn't own anything associated with Austin and Ally. It's been a while though, I should go check again...Nope still don't own anything. Sad.**

* * *

"Mommy, c'mon! We're gonna be late!"

It had been a week since Austin's checkup. Yes, he had survived. wasn't at all scary or mean and he had _fantastic_ taste in candy-Austin would know as he was a candy expertise. After the checkup, Mimi and Penny had planned the playdate as promised, and today was the big day. Austin was super excited to spend the whole day with his new best friend and not at his parent's mattress store. At first, the young boy was worried Dez would be mad at him for finding a new best friend, but Dez had just grinned and went back to building his sandcastle, telling Austin he was happy he found a new best friend, one that wasn't a stuffed animal.

"Mommy hurry up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Mimi calls from the bedroom. "I'm just making sure I didn't forget anything."

Austin groans. "Mommy! You never forget anything. Let's goooo."

"Okay, okay. I'm here," Mimi picks up her purse and keys and leads Austin out of the house.

"Me and Ally are gonna have so much fun! I'm gonna show her all of my awesome crayons!" Austin says, holding up his deluxe box of 84 new and improved crayons.

"I'm sure she'll love them," Mimi replies buckling Austin into his car seat.

Mimi gets into the driver's seat, as Austin continues rambling on about his playdate.

"-and then we could make _more_ airplanes. Oh! Do you think she knows how to draw rocketships? And I wonder if she has any stuffed animals Teddy McStuffins can play with. I don't want him to be lonely. Hey, where's Teddy McStuffins...Mommy! I forgot him! We have to go back and get him! He's probably really scared. You know he hates being alone and he's scared of the dark and-"

"Calm down honey. I brought him. You forgot him on the couch," Mimi reaches over to the passenger seat and pulls out the teddy bear from her purse.

Austin lets out a deep breath and engulfs the bear into a tight hug. "Oh Teddy McStuffins, I thought I'd never see you again! I'm so sorry. I'll never leave you again, I promise!"

Austin spends the rest of the car ride telling his stuffed friend about all the adventures they were gonna have at Ally's house. Mimi loved her son dearly, but a woman could only take so much talking, so when she pulled into the driveway of the Dawson's residence, Mimi lets out a sigh of relief.

"We're here."

Austin stops talking and looks out of the window. "Yay! We're here! Oh we're gonna have so much fun!" He was practically bursting with excitement.

Mimi parks the car and unbuckles Austin. As the two walk up the door, Mimi recited the 'Good Behavior' rules. "And make sure to be polite. And whatever gives you for lunchtime, you'll eat without fussing, okay?"

Austin nods, but then scrunches his face. "Unless its broccoli. I _hate_ broccoli." He secures his bear and box of crayons in his arms, and reaches up to ring the doorbell.

"And if anything happens, I want you to go straight to . I'll give her the number of the store, so if you need us to come pick you up, Daddy or I will come, okay?"

Austin rolls his eyes, but smiles. "You worry too much Mommy. Everything's gonna be fine. Better than fine! It's gonna be awesome! Amazing! Brill-" Austin gets cut off by the door opening.

"Ally!" Austin throws his arms around the little girl, squeezing the life out of her.

Ally awkwardly pats his back. "Uh, hi," she gasps out.

Penny laughs. "Got quite a hugger there, huh?"

"Oh you have no idea." Mimi replies.

"Hey ,." Austin offers his hand, along with a bright smile.

"Oh and he's a gentleman." Penny shakes his hand and ruffles his hair. "Hey sweetheart. Ally, hun, how about you go show Austin your room."

"Okay. C'mon Austin." Ally leads Austin into the house. Austin follows, literally bouncing with every step.

"Have fun, honey!" Mimi calls from the doorway.

Austin barely turns around. "Huh? Oh yeah, bye Mommy!" He gives a quick way and continues to follow Ally, giggling in excitement.

* * *

"So this is my room."

Austin observes Ally's room. "Huh. It's very... _red_."

Ally starts fidgeting and pulls one of her pigtails into her mouth. "You don't like it?" she asks, with a mouthful of hair.

Austin looks back at Ally and quickly shakes his head. "No, no! I like it. It's just that I thought girls had pink rooms with fairies and princesses like Didi does. She's Dez's little sister-Dez is my best friend, my _other_ best friend-and her room is _all_ pink and gross."

Ally spits out her hair and smiles in relief. "Oh. I don't like pink. Well, I kinda like it, but not too much. I like red _much_ better-it's my favorite color."

Austin nods in agreement. "Red _is_ much better. My favorite color's orange," he says, walking further into the room. "You have so many stuffed animals! Oh, is that a dolphin? Aww, it's so cute," he says, picking up the stuffed dolphin and snuggling it.

"That's Dougie the Dolphin."

"Can Teddy McStuffins play with him? I don't want him to be lonely. Cuz is he's lonely, he'll bother us. _A lot_." Austin states matter-of-factly.

Ally nods. "Sure."

"Cool! Okay Teddy McStuffins, listen carefully. No rough-housing, no being mean, and no name calling, understand?" Austin stares at his bear, giving him stern instructions. The bear stares back with a loopy smile on his face.

Ally's giggles cut him off. "You sound just like my mommy."

"No way! You're mommy does that too? So does mine!"

"So whaddya wanna do?" Ally asks, rocking on her heels.

"Can we color? I brought my new crayons. See, there's so many, I can't even count them!" Austin shoves the box in Ally's face.

Ally giggles. "Those are nice. Oooh that's a pretty red. Can I use it?"

Austin hesitates for a moment. He didn't let _anyone_ touch his crayons. Not even Dez. But then he realizes that Ally was letting him, well his bear, play with her dolphin and she also let him use _her_ crayons at the doctor's office, so he decides that she can, but only with his supervision. "Sure."

"Okay. Let me go get my crayons and paper. And I'll get coloring books too. Oh and my mommy said she's gonna make cookies, so we can help her."

"Really? Wait...which kind of cookies? Chocolate chip or the icky ones with raisins and nuts?" Austin asks suspiciously.

Ally giggles again. Austin decides he like Ally's giggles. "Chocolate chip. I don't like the raisin ones."

"Me neither."

As Ally rummages through her desk, Austin notices a white backpack with black music notes, laying against the wall. The two kids, along with many others, were starting preschool next week, so it only made sense little Ally Dawson had her backpack all ready to go.

"That's such a cool backpack! Mine has the Electric Avengerrr on it! Did you get a lunchbox too?"

Ally returns with an assortment of coloring supplies and lays them on the floor. "Uh, yeah."

Austin frowns. "What's wrong?"

Ally looks up. "Nothing."

"But you look sad. You're not smiling."

"Yes I am. See?" Ally grins over-enthusiastically.

"You weren't before. If you don't wanna color, that's okay. We can play with Teddy McStuffins and Dougie. Or dress up, or have a tea party. Girls like tea parties, right?"

Ally shakes her head. "No. I mean, yes they do, but we can color. I like coloring."

Austin sighs in relief. "Okay good. Cuz tea parties are gross. Wait. Why are you sad?" he pushes.

Ally sighs and tugs on a pigtail. "I'm scared about preschool," she admits, quietly.

"Oh." Then he pauses. "Why? Preschool's gonna be so much fun! We're gonna learn so many things and play with toys and read and write and-"

"I know, but I'm scared people won't like me."

"Why wouldn't they like you? You're Ally Dawson-the smartest person ever! Well, besides all the Mommies and Daddies and the President..." Austin adds as an afterthought. "But you already know how to read and write and no other 4 year old does!"

"I know. But what if the kids are mean? I don't have any friends and I don't know how to make any." Ally confesses, her voice barely over a whisper.

Austin's eyes widen. "You don't have any friends?! _How?_ Friends are awesome!" Ally sinks in embarrassment. "Well, don't worry Ally. You have me. And I'm sure Dez'll wanna be your friend too. He's really nice. And we'll find you a girl friend too that you can do all the girly stuff with, like play with dollies and have tea parties with. And if we can't find you a friend, you'll always have me and I'm awesome! Besides, we're best friends and best friends stick together, like superheroes. Oh, we'll be Super Austin and Super Ally and we'll take over the school together!" Austin exclaims, excitedly.

"That sounds more like a villain thing," Ally points out.

Austin shrugs. "We'll do it in a good way. Don't worry Ally. You won't be friendless in preschool. Its gonna be amazing! Just wait!"

Ally smiles and jumps onto Austin, hugging him. "Thanks Austin. You're the bestest friend ever!"

Austin grins. "I know."

Ally pulls away. "So you wanna color now?"

"Duh."

* * *

Ally looks out of the car window and sees the school coming near. Penny parks the car and turns around. "Did you get everything? Your backpack, lunchbox?" Ally nods her head, he grip tightening on the piece of paper Austin had given to her after their playdate. "Okay, then let's go." Penny gets out of the car and comes over to Ally's side, unbuckling, helping her out. Penny steps back and starts tearing up, looking at Ally standing there in her cute little pigtails and her backpack on her back. "Aww, you're all grown up."

"Mommy don't cry," Ally says, reaching up to grab her mommy's hand.

Penny smiles and sniffles. "I'm not crying, hun. I'm just-you're going to preschool and the next thing you know it I'll be sending you off to college, and I'm just so proud of you, honey." She bends down and hugs Ally.

"Thanks Mommy."

Penny pulls away and wipes her eyes. "Okay. Well let's go. I'm sure your teacher's waiting for you."

Ally looks up at the intimidating school and then at the folded paper in her hands. She opens it and sees a somewhat messy drawing of two little superheroes in red capes and orange masks, flying above a school full of children.

Ally smiles. Maybe preschool wouldn't be so bad after all. She knew Austin would be her hero- _super_ hero-and as long as they stuck together, everything would be fine.

* * *

 **Wasn't Austin such a sweetheart? He was so adorable and cute and AWWWW. I mean, he was offering to have a tea party (which he thought were gross) with Ally, just so she wouldn't be sad. That, ladies and gentlemen, is true love.**

 **Okay, I know I'm being biased over my own baby Austin, but you have to admit, he was a precious cinnamon roll.**

 **Right, so before I get any weirder, I wanted to ask you guys something. So I got this idea to make this a one-shot series, where it focuses on Austin and Ally through out the years and the chapters, or one-shots, are about their fears and sad events. I thought it might be cute and fun to try, so lemme know what you guys think.**

 **Thanksss. Love ya guys! :)**

 **(I'm surprised I haven't searched Google for a catchphrase yet..gonna go do that now)**

 **~Unreal Zebra**


	3. Puppy Love

**hi. long time, no see, eh?**

 **yeah, sorry about that. i had trouble writing this chapter and then i was bombarded with school nonsense (ugh), and typings always a pain, but it's here now so yay!**

 **i hope you guys aren't dead...otherwise this is kinda awkward. well, not really i guess, cuz i'm dead too, so it makes sense, since like dead people can talk to other fellow deadlings.**

 **disclaimer: apparently, dead people can't own TV shows. such discrimination. *shakes head***

* * *

"Honey, its time to wake up." Mimi gently shakes her son, waking him.

Austin blinks and yawns, looking at his mom with a tired, yet bright smile. "Hi Mommy."

"Hey kiddo. Go brush your teeth. I made pancakes."

Austin bolts up, all the tiredness quickly disappearing. "Pancakes?! Yay!" He jumps out of bed and races to the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth. Rushing into the kitchen, he walks over to the counter to greet and feed his goldfish, Little Golden Fins.

Austin won Little Golden Fins at a carnival about a year ago. The boy had been so excited, he called Dez the minute he got home, so they could name the fish. The two boys decided to name the little fish, Little Golden Fins. It only made sense since Austin was Little Golden Toes and it was _his_ fish. Also, Goldie was too girly, they decided.

Austin loved his little fish more than anything. He took the responsibility of feeding him every morning and evening and told him in-depth stories before bedtime. Once, Austin even tried playing hide-n-seek with the fish, but it turned out Little Golden Fins was a terrible seeker. And a hider.

"Good morning, Little Golden Fins!" Austin chirped, taking the lid off the fish food. He turned to the fish tank, gasping at the sight. "Oh my gosh! That's so cool! I didn't know you could do tricks! Mommy, Daddy, come look! Little Golden Fins is doing a trick!"

Mimi looks up from the stove in alarm, as Mike puts down his newspaper and walks over and stands behind Austin. "Fish can't do tricks, son."

Austin looks up at his dad, and points to the fish, who was floating upside down.

"But he is! That must mean he's special. I always knew he was special." Austin smiles proudly at his finned friend.

Mimi comes over and places a hand on his shoulder. "Honey, Little Golden Fins is _dead_."

Austin looks up at his mom, the smile replaced with a panicked expression. "What? No, he can't be dead! He;s my fish; he _can't_ die!" His eyes fill up with tears.

Mimi strokes his hair. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Austin breaks down, burying his face in Mimi's stomach. "Oh, honey." She sighs, holding him and looks at Mike with a worried expression.

Mike shrugs helplessly, never knowing how to handle these types of situations. He pats Austin's head. "He was a good fish. He loved you very much." This causes Austin to sob even harder.

Mimi glares at her husband, who innocently holds his hand up in surrender. She presses a soft kiss on Austin's hair, squatting down to his height. She wipes away his tears and gently brushes back the hair that had fallen in his eyes. "I know you miss him, sweetie, but-"

"H-he was my fish. My _friend,_ " he chokes out, tears streaming down his face.

"Oh, honey. I know." She kisses his forehead. "But it was time for him to join his other fish friends and family in heaven. You would want him to be with his mommy and daddy again, right?"

Austin sniffles and thinks for a moment, his tears slowing down. "Yes. But is it okay if I still miss him?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Mimi pecks his forehead once more and rubs his shoulders, before standing up. "Now, c'mon. You're gonna be late for school."

"And I'll take care of this," Mike says, picking up the fish bowl from the counter.

"Where are you taking him?"

"I'm gonna go, uh, flush him down the toilet..."

Austin's eyes widen in horror. "No!" He cries. "You can't _flush_ him!"

Mike sighs. "Austin, I know you're upset, but its just a fish. We-"

"He's not just a fish! He was my _friend!_ " Austin turns to Mimi with tear-filled eyes. "Mommy, we _can't_ flush him!"

"And we're not going to." Mimi shoots Mike a disapproving look, signaling him to put the bowl back on the counter.

Mike follows orders, muttering something under his breath. "Okay, uh, we'll bury him in the garden when you come back from school. Is that okay?"

Austin nods, wiping his eyes.

"C'mon let's eat breakfast." Mimi guides him to the table, sitting him down.

Austin slowly chews on his pancakes, looking back solemnly at his late friend, floating upside down in the water.

* * *

"Let's go on the swings! Oh, or we could play hide-n-seek! Or-"

"Dez, I don't wanna play anything," Austin says, siting down on the sidewalk.

Dez follows, siting down next to him. "Why not? You _love_ hide-n-seek."

"I know, but I don't feel good today."

Ally comes over and sits down on the other side of Austin. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Ally!" Dez chirps, while Austin mutters a small 'hi'. "Where's Trish?"

"She didn't come today; she's sick." Ally turns to Austin. "Are you okay? You look kinda sad?"

"I _am_ sad," he replies glumly.

Ally frowns. "Why?"

"Little Golden Fins is dead," he says in a small voice, his eyes watering.

"Little Golden Fins is gonna be a _dad?_ Awesome! So does this make the grandpa or the uncle? Or am I aunt?" Dez asks.

"No Dez. He's not a dad. He died," Ally explains.

"Little Golden Fins _died?_ " His lips start trembling. "But he was my favoritest fish ever." He starts sobbing, tears flooding down his face.

"I know Dez. He was my favoritest fish too." Austin and Dez hug each other, crying into each other's shoulders.

Ally sits there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. "I'm sorry. I know how much you loved him," she says.

Austin pulls away from the hug, sniffling, and looks at Ally, with a small smile. "Thanks Ally."

Ally nods.

"We're gonna bury him after school. You guys can come if you want," Austin offers.

"Sure. I'll ask my mommy."

"Okay. Wait...does that mean I have to wear black? I don't have anything black."

* * *

Austin and Ally were in Austin's room, doing what they do best - coloring. Dez had left after the funeral because he had to go to karate class, but Ally had begged her mom to let her stay over so Austin wouldn't be alone. Penny was hesitant at first, but Mimi insisted that Austin would feel better if she did, so Penny agreed and said she'd pick Ally up in a few hours.

The room was silent as the two five year olds colored, when Austin spoke up.

"Thanks," he says quietly.

Ally stops drawing and looks up. "For what?"

Austin stops coloring too and looks at Ally. "For staying over. I would still be crying if you hadn't."

"Oh. Your welcome." She pauses for a moment, biting her lip, before asking, "Are you okay?"

Austin sighs. "I'm still kida sad, but is okay. I know Little Golden Fins is with his mommy and daddy and other friends."

Ally nods. "Are you gonna get any other pets now?"

"I wanted a puppy, but Mommy said no."

"Why?"

"She says I'm the only puppy she and Daddy can handle."

Ally's eyes widen. "Your Mommy _does_ know you're not a puppy, right?"

Austin thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. "Nah. At least...I don't think so. Am I a puppy?!" he asks excitedly.

Ally leans forward, inspecting his features. "Well you don't have any fur or a tail and you don't _look_ like one, so I don't think so," she says, leaning back.

The blond pouts. "Aw man. I would've been so cool to be a puppy."

Ally giggles. "You'd be a really cute puppy."

Austin gives her a toothy grin. "Thanks Ally! So are you gonna get any pets?"

"I wanted a puppy too, but my daddy's allergic. And he's also allergic to kitties. But my parents said once I'm a little older they'll get me a bird or hamster. My mommy said she'd get me a baby gorilla, but I don't think that's safe."

"A _gorilla_?! That'd be so cool! We could teach him how to talk and take him to the park and-"

"But they're really big," she points out.

Austin frowns. "Hmm, that's true. Maybe we should just get a puppy when we're older."

"Huh?"

"When we're older, we should raise a puppy family!" Austin suggest, lighting up with excitement. "I'd be the daddy and you'd be the mommy and we'd have so many puppy babies!"

"Doesn't that mean we have to marry each other?" Ally asks, quirking her head to the side.

"Um... we can do it without the marrying part."

"Okay. So what should we name our puppy babies?"

"So we should get the golden puppies and name one of them Little Golden Paws and then we should name another one, uh- what do you wanna name them?"

"Oh, we should name one of the girls Goldie, and then we should get one of those black and white dot puppies and name him Spot!"

"Yes! But we're not getting a hundred and one of those, cuz that's too many."

Ally nods in agreement. "Mhm. And they'll all be best friends and awww! It's gonna be so cute!" She gushes.

"Oh! We should draw this so we can show our mommies."

Ally nods excitedly and the two start scribbling furiously, creating a messy crayon representation of their future.

* * *

"I miss you Little Golden Fins. Its lonely without you swimming next to us while we're eating dinner. But I hope you're having fun with your family. I bet they missed you a lot," he says, looking up at the ceiling, clutching Teddy McStuffins tightly to his chest. "Oh yeah. Teddy McStuffins misses you too, especially having staring contests with you. Well its past my bedtime, so I should sleep. Goodnight, Little Golden Fins." Austin sighs and turns on his side. He looks at the drawing he and Ally had made that afternoon, hanging on his wall.

Crayon Austin and Crayon Ally were both cradling a puppy in their arms and surrounding them were a dozen other puppies. Austin smiles as he dozes off to sleep, dreaming about his future of cute puppies and his best friend.

* * *

 **i'm killing off so many people (and fish) lately...oops.**

 **yeah, so i hope y'all liked it!**

 **okay so a little #BehindTheScreenWithMoi - so originally i was gonna name Little Golden Fins, Mr. Gills cuz i thought it'd be like the _perfect_ name, but then i realized that Kira's fish was Mr. Gills, so my friend was like 'name him Finn or something,' and then Little Golden Fins came to exist.**

 **oh, have you guys asked Siri why firetrucks are red? If you haven't, you totally should. It's hilarious. I've memorized the whole thing - it's one of my biggest accomplishments. And you should also ask her what zero divided by zero is.**

 **also, i may or may not have a surprise coming next week, so *winky wink*. although if you follow me on twitter, then you probably already know, which in that case...just act surprised, kay? kay.**

 **i love you guys soooo much and thankss for procrastinating on life to read my fic. it means a lot to me. =D**

 **(can dead people catch phrases, cuz i can't)**

 **~Unreal Zebra**


	4. Oh, Mother!

**you thought that I was gone, guess that you were wrong, cuz I just wrote your new favorite chapter.**

 **((yes, it doesn't rhyme, I am aware, but you get the reference and that's all that matters))**

 **yeah, so hi. I'm so incredibly sorry I haven't updated in forever. first I was on vacation over seas for the summer and then when I came back, I had like no inspiration or motivation whatsoever and I just wasn't in my zone, y'know, so yeah. and then school started and well, yikes. ugh. I hate school.**

 **anyways, I finally pulled myself together and created this little piece of gold. (it's actually not really that golden but well)**

 **also, I have never been in a divorce related situation, so I have no experience of it whatsoever. that being said, if I made errors in this fic regarding divorce, I'm sorry.**

 **oh, and the title is a play on (the saying...i guess?) 'oh, brother!' I thought it was creative haha...no...okay then...**

 **I guess that's all I have to say, so enjoy!**

 **disclaimer: I'm running out of creative ideas on how to do these. help me! but no, I don't know Austin or Ally or Trish or Dez or Lester Dawson or Penny Dawson ((why did she not go back to er maiden name after the divorce?)) or Mimi Moon or Beauty and the Beast. It'd be cool if I did tho.**

 **p.s. this is dedicated to kim and lauren (and everyone else who reads these thingies) for continuously motivating me to update. and for not losing hope in me lol**

* * *

"Ally? Honey, we need to talk to you about something," Ally's dad says, inviting the young girl to sit next to sit on the couch.

Cautiously, Ally walks across the living room, taking a seat next to her mom. "Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?" she asks worriedly, filing through her brain, evaluating her events from the prior weeks, trying to find what she possibly could've have done wrong.

She came up with nothing. But her nerves didn't relax; just tensed up even more.

"No, no, sweetie. You're not in trouble. We..." her mom trails off, letting out a soft sigh. She looks towards the ground and closes her eyes, taking deep breaths. Lester gently patted her shoulder and gave her a small smile, when she raised her head to look at him. She returns it with a tired smile of her own.

Ally was feeling extremely awkward. And a little worried. But mainly awkward. This was weird.

Taking one last deep sigh, Penny turned to Ally, with a gentle smile.

"i'm going to Africa. For a research expedition."

Ally's face lights up. "No way! You're going to Africa? That's so cool! How long are you gonna be gone for? A month?"

"Actually, sweetie, I'm going to be there for a while. I don't know when I'll be back. I'll come visit often though."

Ally sinks down into the sofa, her face sinking with her. "So you're leaving us? Me and Daddy are going to be alone?"

Penny reaches over and brushes a piece of hair away from Ally's face. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I promise I'm going to come and visit and Daddy's going to take really good care of you."

"But aren't we supposed to be one big happy family and live together forever?"

Lester sighs from behind Penny, who has an expression Ally doesn't recognize.

"Honey, we...we..." Lester trails off, heaving another sigh.

"We love you a lot honey. And we care for you deeply and we always will. We want you to remember that?"

"No matter what happens, we will _always_ love you, okay?" Her mom adds.

She looks at her parents, nodding her head slowly.

"Yes, I know that. I love you too."

"Honey, we...we..." Penny breaks off, putting her face in her hands. "God, how to do you tell a six-year-old something like this?" she mumbles into her palms.

Ally looks over at her dad with concerned eyes. "Daddy, what's going on?"

Her dad sighs, sharing a glance with Penny, who gives a slight nod. He turns to the little girl, gathering his breath.

"Ally, sweetheart. You're mother and I are getting a divorce."

Time freezes.

The world crumbles.

Ally's heart stops.

"You're...you're getting divorced?" she asks, her voice cracking and shaky. "But divorces only happen to people who hate each other, right? And you love Mommy and Mommy loves you and we're one big happy family, right? You said we'd always be a happy family and we'll always love each other and you still love each other so you shouldn't be getting a divorce and we're just supposed to be happy family."

Her breaths get quicker, her voice laced with desperation and fear. Her hands are shaking, her heart is racing, her thoughts are swirling. She doesn't know what's happening, she can't control herself. Her eyes start watering.

"You can't get divorced. I need both of you." she says quietly, her voice shattering.

"Oh, sweetheart." Penny pulls Ally into her, as Ally cries. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't you love each other?" Ally asks, her voice blubbering as the tears stream down her face, pulling back slightly to look at her.

"We do," she answers slowly. "But not in the way we used to. We will never hate each other and we'll always be good friends."

"I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to get a divorce. I just want us to be a big happy family." Ally sobs heavily into her mom's shirt.

Penny and Lester look at each other with sad, devastated eyes, their hearts shattering for the innocent daughter who was crying in their arms because of _them._

* * *

"You're parents are getting a what?"

"A divorce," Ally sighs. "Its when old people break up. Married people I mean. Not old."

"Married people are still old." Trish says.

"But why?" Dez asks. "Is that even allowed?"

Ally looks at the ground sadly. "Yeah, it is allowed. They just don't love each other anymore. They don't get agree with each other's ideas."

"They could just compromise," Dez suggests.

"I don't think they want to," she replies.

"I'm sorry, Ally." Trish hugs her best friend, a thought coming into mind. "Wait, who are you going to live with?"

Before Ally can answer, Dez speaks. "Half of her is gonna live her Daddy and the other half with her Mommy. Duh."

Trish gives him a weirded out look and Ally looks at him, freaked out.

"Uh...no. I'm not going to be cut in half or anything. I'm gonna live with my dad." She sighs, before quietly adding, "My mom's moving to Africa to study gorillas."

" _Gorillas?_ No way! That's amazing!" Dez squeals. "Hey, giraffes live in Africa too, right? Can she get me a giraffe? Oh, or a lion? Oh my gosh, can she get me a lion?!"

Trish rolls her eyes at him. "Shut up, doofus."

He gasps dramatically, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Ooooh, you said a bad word!"

The small Latina rolls her eyes again and averts her attention over to the young brunette. "Are you going to be okay?"

Ally gives her a small smile. "Yeah, Trish. She's going to come visit a ton, so its okay. But I still wish she wasn't going."

Trish smiles sympathetically at her friend, then thinks for a moment.

"Hey where's Austin?"

"He was spending the weekend at his cousin's house. He'll be back tomorrow." Ally says and the three settle into a comfortable silence. Until Dez breaks it.

"So...your mommy _can't_ get me a lion? I'd be okay with just a baby giraffe too."

* * *

The next day Austin was back and now they were currently lounging on Austin's bed after school, coloring like usual. It was their _thing_.

Ally was quiet, listening to Austin ramble about the adventures he had at his cousin's house. Well, she was always quiet, but today she was _extra_ quiet and this concerned the little boy.

Austin paused his story and halted his coloring. He looked up at Ally. "Are you okay? You seem sad."

Ally doesn't look up, still coloring. "I...my mommy's going to Africa. To study gorillas," she says.

Austin sits up properly, looking at her in awe. "Oh my gosh! That is so cool! Oh! Does this mean you're gonna have a gorilla sibling? Oh my gosh, I've always wanted a monkey friend!"

Ally stops coloring and looks up at him with a skeptical look. "Um...monkeys and gorillas aren't the same thing, Austin."

"Uh, yeah they are," he says. " They're both furry and brown and look the same."

She just looks at him, shaking her head. "Ok, but I'm not going to have a gorilla sibling. I don't think we can take care of a gorilla."

"Sure we can!" Austin exclaims. "He can live in your backyard. Oh, we can make him a little tree house! And we can give him baths in our bathtubs! And...and we can take him to the park! And we can-"

"Austin. Austin. Austin!" Ally snaps Austin out of his thoughts. "Do you how big gorillas are? And they're really dangerous too."

He thinks for a moment. "Huh. I guess you're right." He frowns. "Dang it. That would've been so cool though."

Ally smiles. "Yeah." Then her smile falters. "But I don't want her to go."

Austin scoots closer to her. "Why is she going anyways?"

The girl sighs, fidgeting with her hands. "She said it's been her dream since she was little and now's her chance. That's why Mommy and Daddy got divorced. Because they both didn't agree with each other's dreams."

Austin scrunches his eyebrows, squinting his eyes. "What's a dee-vorse?"

" _Divorce._ It's when married people don't love each other anymore so they break up and aren't married anymore."

"Oh." Austin pauses. "That's so sad. So you're not going to have a mommy anymore?"

"No, my mommy's still going to be my mommy, but...she's just not going to live with us anymore..." she trails off, tears appearing in her eyes.

Austin quickly pulls her into a hug, a few tears wetting his shirt. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. Oh I've got an idea! You can share my mommy! I won't mind. It'll be fun!"

Ally pulls back, giving him a small, grateful smile. "I wouldn't want to steal your mom. She's your mom."

"It's okay. I just want you to be happy."

She replies with a sad smile. "Thanks."

Austin thinks of some other way to comfort her, when his mom comes into the room.

"Hey there kiddos! How are my favorite prince and princess doing?"

Austin jumps off of the bed and runs to his mom, pulling her arm. "Mommy, you have to help Ally. She's sad and I don't know how to make her happy!"

"Aww." Mimi sits down next to Ally, running her fingers through her hair. "I know this is really hard for you."

Ally nods. "I don't want her to leave. I don't want my parents to get divorced. I want things to stay the same," she cries.

Mimi hugs the little girl, comforting her as she cries, as Austin watches sadly from besides them.

"You can be Ally's mommy too, right?" he asks Mimi with pleading eyes.

"Well, I can never replace your mom, but if there's anything you ever want to talk about, you can come to me, okay sweetheart?" she tells Ally with a warm smile.

Ally nods, sniffling and wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "Okay."

"Good. I'll leave you two alone now." Mimi walks out of the room, and Austin replaces her spot on the bed.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asks.

"Yeah." Ally smiles a little. "Let's keep coloring.

Austin grins. " I _love_ coloring!"

"I know."

* * *

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Mommy," Ally says, hugging her mom tightly.

"I'm going to miss you too, honey. Take good care of Daddy, okay? Make sure he eats all of his vegetables and does all of his chores," Penny says, brushing the hair out of Ally's eyes.

She giggles. "Okay, Mommy."

Penny stands up and looks at Lester. "Please take good care of Ally," she says, more seriously this time.

Lester nods. "Of course I will. She's my daughter too."

Penny smiles, then looks down at Ally again. "Here, I got you something." She pulls out a brown leather book out of her purse, handing it to her daughter. "This is for you. Write all of your adventures in here, so when I get back, I can read all about them."

"Thank you, Mommy!" Ally hugs her again.

"I'll see you on Christmas, okay?"

Ally and Lester nod and the family shares one last hug, before Penny walks to boarding gate, her suitcase in hand.

They wave to each other, until she's finally out of sight.

Lester looks down at Ally, who's hugging her new journal tightly against her chest.

"Hey, how about we go see a movie?"

She looks up at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "But its not 'Dollar Movie Saturday' today. It's Friday."

Her dad shrugs. "Eh, that's okay. I think they're playing Beauty and the Beast today."

Ally grins. "Okay."

They walk out of the airport. When they settle into the car, Ally pulls out the drawing Austin had given her from that day, and stares at it.

Austin and Ally were standing in a middle of a park, with their moms besides them, holding their hands. Oh, and in the middle of Austin and Ally was a brown blob with eyes labeled 'Ally's gorilla sibling, Bob."

 _I am not naming a gorilla Bob._

She smiles at the picture and then opens up her journal, sticking it between the cover and the first page.

She'd be okay.

* * *

 **okay. well. this was...something.**

 **I had no idea how to end this and I kinda don't really like how this turned out but meh. And like I said, I have never dealt with divorce suchness in my life, so if the events and details are wrong, I'm sorry. I just used the knowledge I had.**

 **and also, show-wise, I feel like this would be inaccurate - I feel like her parents would get a divorce like when she was a little older, but for the matters of this story, I had to make it happen here. And well it's an AU so...**

 **well I hope you guys liked it!**

 **and I promise I'll try to update more frequently.**

 **thank you guys so much for sticking with me. I love you! =)**


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